Woman's extraordinary lengths to become a mum at 50

A Sydney woman has become a mother for the first time at the age of 50.

Manda Upton went to extraordinary lengths to become a mother to her twins Bea and Gigi after years of unsuccessful attempts to fall pregnant.

“I had done 23 rounds of IVF and spent $75,000 and had three miscarriages trying with my own eggs,” Ms Upton said.

“I started trying at the age of 39.”

When nothing worked she flew to a South African clinic where she selected egg and sperm donors.

“You get a profile and you find out a full medical history, that’s the critical part,” she said, thankful that both of her girls were born happy and healthy.

New donor egg program to benefit Aussie mums-to-be

Thanks to a new program, older mothers are now able to access donor eggs from younger women much closer to home.

In Australia, buying or selling eggs is illegal, so most would-be mothers rely on altruistic donations through friends and family – or they’re forced to travel overseas.

But Fertility First, a clinic in Hurstville in Sydney’s south, has partnered with UK clinic Manor IVF to fly in donor eggs from England.

The clinic’s Dr Anne Clarke said it’s been a dream of many hopeful mothers for a long time.

“It’s the first time there’s been a donor egg program that’s been designed by Australians for Australians,” she said.

Demand for donated eggs is growing because biology isn’t keeping up with the social trend to delay motherhood, with fertility declining from a woman’s mid-thirties.

For women over forty, IVF success rates are between five and 15 per cent.

But with a batch of younger donor eggs that leaps to more than 70 per cent.